


Spreading Christmas Cheer

by mggislife2789



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, Christmas Shopping, Christmas Tree, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-09
Updated: 2017-12-09
Packaged: 2019-02-12 15:05:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,728
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12962034
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mggislife2789/pseuds/mggislife2789
Summary: Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or their original stories. This is only for fun. It's where my brain goes after the credits roll. No copyright intended. Better safe than sorry. ;)Day 9 of the 25 Days of BAU Christmas. <3





	Spreading Christmas Cheer

Garcia ran into the round table room in a panic. “Who’s our person this year?”

Immediately, everyone turned to face her. Year after year, they’d gotten together and done something nice for someone they knew, or even someone they didn’t - someone who needed it. With cases coming in and out at lightning speed, they’d barely gotten time to breathe, no less think of who they’d try to help this year. “Oh my god, I don’t know,” Emily said. “We finally have time to think. So who should we pick this year?”  
Tara sat across the table from Emily, combing her hands through her hair when it dawned on her. “What about Y/N? From the diner?”

“She did say she was going to have some issues doing Christmas for her daughter this year because she’d barely making ends meet,” Spencer said. “That could definitely work.”

Rossi nodded enthusiastically. “What should we do?”

Luke instantly had some ideas. “She said she has a tree, but that’s all she’s going to be able to do. For dinner, she was able to get picked through a local charity for a free meal, but for her daughter’s gifts, she said she was barely going to be able to do anything. Can we get a hold on her Christmas list without Y/N knowing?”

As they continued planning everything out, their faces lit up. Y/N was their favorite waitress at their local diner and she worked her ass off to provide for her little girl. The five year old was in school now, so money had gotten even tighter. Though Y/N did have her own mother, who could babysit while her daughter worked, Y/N was still barely making ends meet. “She said she might even have to tell Quinn that Santa isn’t real because she doesn’t have the money to buy anything,” JJ continued. “No one should have to say that to their five year old. But maybe we can keep the magic going for another year.”

Garcia had already pulled out her phone and texted Y/N to see if they could get together. “I have plans with her tonight. I’m going to take her and Quinn out to dinner. I’ll get the list then. Operation Save Christmas is underway!”  
________________________________________

When Garcia arrived to pick Y/N up for dinner, she excused herself for a moment to head to the bathroom, and instead found Quinn. On her little play table was her Christmas list. It was very modest, almost as if she knew Santa was actually her mother and her mom didn’t have enough money, but now the team had something to work with. “Here we go,” she said, placing the list on the table the next morning. “This is where we start.”

Rossi grabbed the paper and looked almost sad. “Wow, she doesn’t have a lot on here.”

“But we can work with that,” Spencer said, scanning the page. When he got to the bottom, he beamed. “She wants books. It says lots of books.” He would obviously be taking care of that. 

“She also wants a pop up castle,” Emily said softly. “The kind you can sit in. Oh my god, she’s so cute. We can definitely work with this. Should we go shopping after work?”

Rossi patted his pocket, his wallet at the ready. “Sounds good to me.”  
________________________________________

After a truly long ass day at work, the team headed to Target. It should have been a crime to be such big babies, running around the store and putting things into the cart that they thought little Quinn might enjoy. “Here’s the pop-up castle!” JJ beamed. “What about this too?” Superhero dolls. Wonder Woman, Batgirl and Supergirl were just the beginning. JJ put three into the cart and then Rossi got the rest.

“What?” He laughed when Luke gave him the side eye. “She needs the complete collection.” Rossi so rarely got to spend the money he’d earned over his lifetime; making a little girl’s Christmas dreams come true was just what he wanted to be spending it on. 

Spencer emerged from one of the aisles with a square package in hand. “It’s a tablet made just for kids. She could learn and watch tv shows and Y/N can put on parental controls and everything!” He didn’t even put it in the cart; he just gathered it close to his chest. This was something he was buying.

Luke grabbed an art kit. Matt chipped in where he could, buying her a basketball she wanted, but considering he had four kids of his own, he couldn’t do much else. It didn’t matter. The rest of the team was surely making up for it. Garcia bought...everything. A cute owl backpack for school, more barbies, but not the ones with dresses because Quinn had written on her list that she didn’t like dresses, a care bear, and even some clothes. 

Just an hour and a half after they’d arrived, they approached the counter. Spencer bought his own gift and Rossi, Emily, JJ, Luke, Matt and Tara took the rest, with Rossi happily paying for a large chunk of the bill. As they looked in the back of the SUV at the pile of gifts, Matt chuckled. “Now we have to get to wrapping all this.”  
________________________________________

Over the course of the next few days, they all wrapped gifts whenever they could. They might have gone a little overboard. And in addition to the tablet, Spencer had gone and bought nearly $150 in books as well. Of course, they didn’t want to forget Y/N. Emily, JJ, Garcia and Tara had gone out and bought her a nice outfit, including shirt, pants, bag, coat, a hat, mittens, boots - the whole nine yards. 

“What’s wrong, Garcia?” Luke asked when she walked in the room. 

She was a little deflated. “Apparently Y/N had to tell Quinn that Santa wasn’t real. She got really sad. I mean I know we’re giving her stuff, but I was hoping we could keep the magic alive for her.”

Matt and JJ in particular looked saddened. With kids of their own, it was hard to take in the fact that such an integral part of Christmas was taken away from the young child. “It’s okay,” Tara said. “She’s going to have the best Christmas ever anyway. When can we meet up with her?”  
“I asked her when she’d working and when she’d bringing Quinn to the diner again. She’ll be there tomorrow night,” Emily replied. “We’re all wrapped up, right?”

A wave of nods went around the room. 

Even if Quinn knew that Santa wasn’t real, they’d be damned if they didn’t make this a Christmas to remember.  
________________________________________

There was only a week left until Christmas and Y/N was working more than ever. Her own mother dropped Quinn off at the diner about an hour before her shift was over and the diner was closing up for the night. Just as Y/N locked the doors, Spencer knocked lightly on the glass. “Hey, Spencer,” she said with a smile. “How’ve you all been? I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Been a little busy,” he said brightly. “Is Quinn with you?”

When she nodded, Spencer waved his friends over. Y/N was amazingly confused as everyone from the BAU walked in the doors with packages in hand. “What’s this?”

“We decided that Quinn needed some Christmas presents this year?”

“This is for Quinn!” She cried, bringing her hand to her mouth and attempting to hold back tears. “You bought all this for my baby?”

She burst into tears against Rossi’s shoulder as Quinn ran outside to see what was happening. “Mommy, what’s wrong?”

“Mommy’s friends got you Christmas presents this year,” she sobbed. She kept mouthing thank you to everyone as she picked up her daughter. “These are yours.”

Quinn’s eyes went wide. “All of these are for me?”

Spencer, Garcia and the rest of the team nodded at the little girl. “All yours.”

“Mommy, can I open them now?”

When she gave her approval, Quinn got giddy and started running around to every package, ripping open the paper and hugging each member of the team after every single gift. Hearing Quinn exclaim about each gift she received was the best soundtrack Y/N could’ve asked for this season. “Mommy! It’s a basketball! A castle! Superheroes! Mommy, look at all the books!” That last one made Spencer particularly happy. “How are we going to get all this home Mommy?”

“I don’t know,” she laughed. “But we’ll figure it out.” Taking a deep breath, she looked up to her customers, her friends. “I can’t begin to thank you enough for this.”

Quinn gave them all big, fat hugs again, while Y/N did the same. “What about these mommy?” She asked, pointing to a much smaller pile of gifts. “Who are those for?”

Tara turned around and grabbed the pile. “These are for your Mommy.”

“You didn’t...” Y/N said as she began to cry again. Everything she opened was beautiful - way more than she could ever afford and even more than she felt she deserved. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

After loading up everything in the car, they followed Y/N back to her apartment to help unload it all. It took everything in Y/N’s body not to sob the entire way home. There was no way she would’ve been able to do any of this, no less all of it. Between all of them, Quinn’s gifts were brought upstairs in about 10 minutes. The little girl was already sitting by the tree using the art kit that Luke had picked out for her. “Alright, we better get going,” Garcia said. “We’ll see you after the holidays? I need the diner’s cheesecake.”

“I will make sure I have it all ready for you,” Y/N replied. The BAU walked out the door, feeling like they’d accomplished their mission. Quinn was smiling from ear to ear and Y/N was in a permanent state of sobbing. “I don’t know how to say thank you. Just...seeing her smile this year was more than I could’ve asked for. Thank you all so much.”

“Anytime,” JJ said. 

Garcia continued as they made their way down the stairs. “Just spreading some Christmas cheer!”


End file.
